tushanshu | 1 ☆ Video

[Well. Barnaby has certainly Seen Some Shit, but this easily takes the cake for the most ridiculous. Still, he can't argue against what's in front of his very eyes, even if he's still skeptical about a lot of the explanations he received earlier.

The only option is to proceed to the best of his ability, which is why he turns to network of people who have already been in his shoes. He wears a neutral, polite expression as he address the public.

By the way, he pretty much looks like a pink Iron Man, though he has the sense to show his face by lifting his face plate up when addressing a large group of people for the first time.]

Hi, my name is Barnaby Brooks Jr. A couple of things:

First, has anyone seen a Japanese man with a dark complexion, a beard, and in his late thirties/early forties? We were together before I arrived here, and I would like to confirm his whereabouts if possible.

Second, as I understand it, we're expected to find employment. My question is, does anyone here work at a bar? My prior work experience was as a hero, but I'm under the impression there isn't much money to be made from that here, so I'm considering becoming a bartender.

Also, I heard there were a lack of clothing designers here. Tailoring and sewing aren't my expertise, but I did create my own clothing line back home. Is there a demand for that sort of thing here, or would it likely be on a strictly voluntary basis?

I'd appreciate any assistance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tell him about it. That was just one of the many things wrong with Kotetsu's old Wild Tiger outfit. Thankfully, Apollon forced some sense into him and made him upgrade to his current (and much more respectable) suit.]

Our in-house engineer built it by improving on technology originally developed by my parents.

[He probably would have become an engineer himself if his life had panned out differently, but that is neither here nor there.]

[ Interesting. And kind of a shame that Barnaby isn't the designer of his suit. Tony wouldn't mind having the chance to talk shop with a fellow engineer. ]

What's it do? The usual flight and offensive capabilities? Or have you got some fancy tricks built in?

[ Speaking of middle-aged men with beards, here comes another one! Excuse him, but he has some serious shit to say that demands this important conversation be interrupted by him! He lifts up the face plate of his own Hero suit, sporting a very old-fashioned domino mask underneath. ]

Whoa, nice beard! Bunny! Bunny, look!

[ Seriously, it's a nice one. Classy, sophisticated, but modern and clearly identifiable. ]

This is what a beard's all about!

[Wow. Just...wow. The sad part is that Barnaby had sort of suspected this would happen, so it's not like he can act terribly shocked by the intrusion. Instead, his expression remains polite (more for other people's benefit than Kotetsu's) as he speaks.]

Yes, I'm well aware of Mr. Stark's beard, thank you.

[ And here's another one. Tony isn't sure how he feels about this. But it does stand to reason that if it's possible for him to build a suit like this, then other people in other worlds should be able to figure it out too.

The compliment to his beard helps smooth over any disgruntlement he might feel at not being the only name in town when it comes to suits. ]

I see you got one yourself. Stylish, yet not trying too hard.

Exactly!

[ Give him a minute, he's going to gloat over how damn cool he has become in the face another beard-wearer. They are few and far between where he's from. ]

Glad you get it. Most young people these days don't.

[ Yeah, he's talking to you Barnaby. And you, Tony, sort of. Actually, no, you just have become an accessory to a long-standing battled between them. ]

[ Young people? Is he talking about him? Tony stares at him in confusion for a moment before deciding that that's impossible. A forty-three year old man hardly qualifies as young, mores the pity. ]

I've been wearing a goatee since my twenties. If I haven't gotten it by now, I never will.

[Barnaby kind of gives Tony a helpless shrug. Yeah, he recognizes that look of confusion because he's been on the other end of Kotetsu's antics for a long while now.]

Styles change, which is why you don't see so many people with beards in my generation. You also have to factor in the image you're trying to project with your look.

For example, your beard, Mr. Stark, strikes me as something a successful CEO would wear. Back home, the man in charge of Titan Industry's Hero Division looks very similar to you, actually.

Ohh yeah! He does look just like that guy! What's his name uhh... R... Roger--Rupert...?

[ Help him out here, partner! ]

Robert.

[They're talking about this guy.]

[ Huh. If that doesn't sound familiar... It makes him wonder if this Titan Industry guy is their world's version of him. Which would be awkward and strange and man, he's tired of this parallel universe crap. ]

Sounds familiar. CEO. Multibillion dollar company. Stark Industries. Yeah. I'd definitely say it's the successful CEO kind of beard.

You could say that. Among other things, my helmet's HUD can discern basic information by locking onto an object while simultaneously providing me with real-time data about the environment. It can compensate for any vision problems the wearer might have, too.

This suit also has a special mode that allows the leg to expand while I'm delivering a kick.

Huh.

[ Sounds like his own suit. Minus the leg thing. That's different. ]

Mine's similar. But the leg doesn't do that. It's not really designed for hand-to-hand combat. It can handle it, but I've always found it more fun to just blow up targets from the air.

Fair enough.

[It seems that, for all their similarities, their suits were ultimately constructed with different fighting styles in mind. That's hardly surprising, though. Even his and Kotetsu's suits were designed with their respective strengths and weaknesses in mind, making them different in many ways.]

You mentioned you're an engineer. I take it you're the one who built your suit?

That's right.

[ He would add the phrase "the one and only" onto the end of that affirmative, but being here has disabused him of the notion that he's the one and only anything. ]

My world's pretty tech savvy, but I'm sort of unique in my ability to create things that the rest of the world doesn't believe possible.

[It's almost too bad he can't meet Apollon Media's Dr. Saitou. No doubt their combined genius would lead to very interesting results...that would probably make their boss blanch when he saw the budget.]

It certainly sounds like it. Have you built anything since you arrived here?

A few things.

[ A scanning electron microscope. Some robot birds and pigs for a live action version of Angry Birds. Certainly nothing that truly exercises his creativity. ]

Odds and ends for some associates of mine. Nothing super fancy.

[Barnaby offers a polite smile. In truth, he actually does have a bit of a personal interest in advanced feats of engineering, although he's usually quite good at keeping his enthusiasm in check.]

I see. Well, I certainly look forward to hearing about anything else you decide to design while we're here.

Keep your ears open. I'll sure you'll be hearing about plenty of things soon.

[ Now that he has the means to produce more than just the products of a few projects from the confines of his apartment. ]

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